← SOA-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 324 of 1,546

Cost and Performance Optimization →hardMultiple SelectObjective-mapped

Optimizing Costs for Underutilized EC2 Instances: Downsizing and RIs

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of cost and performance optimization. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A company is using a t3.medium EC2 instance for a development web server. The instance is underutilized most of the time. Which TWO actions would optimize costs? (Choose TWO.)

A
Enable EBS optimization.
Why wrong: EBS optimization does not reduce costs.
B
Downsize the instance to t3.small.
Smaller instance costs less.
C
Purchase a Reserved Instance for the instance.
Reserved Instance provides a discount for steady usage.
D
Change the instance to On-Demand.
Why wrong: Changing to On-Demand does not reduce cost.
E
Use Spot Instances for the workload.
Why wrong: Spot Instances are not suitable for development if persistence is needed.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

Answer choices

Why each option matters

Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.

Correct answer & explanation

✓

Downsize the instance to t3.small.

Options B and C are correct. Option B (Downsize the instance to t3.small) reduces compute capacity and cost for an underutilized workload, directly lowering hourly costs. Option C (Purchase a Reserved Instance) provides a significant discount over On-Demand pricing for steady-state usage like a development server that runs continuously. Option A (Enable EBS optimization) does not reduce costs—it adds a fee for dedicated throughput. Option D (Change the instance to On-Demand) is already On-Demand; changing does not save money. Option E (Use Spot Instances) is unsuitable because development servers often need consistent availability, and Spot Instances can be interrupted, risking workload disruption.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✗
Enable EBS optimization.
Why it's wrong here
EBS optimization does not reduce costs.
✓
Downsize the instance to t3.small.
Why this is correct
Smaller instance costs less.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Purchase a Reserved Instance for the instance.
Why this is correct
Reserved Instance provides a discount for steady usage.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Change the instance to On-Demand.
Why it's wrong here
Changing to On-Demand does not reduce cost.
✗
Use Spot Instances for the workload.
Why it's wrong here
Spot Instances are not suitable for development if persistence is needed.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Cost and Performance Optimization — This question tests Cost and Performance Optimization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Downsize the instance to t3.small. — Options B and C are correct. Option B (Downsize the instance to t3.small) reduces compute capacity and cost for an underutilized workload, directly lowering hourly costs. Option C (Purchase a Reserved Instance) provides a significant discount over On-Demand pricing for steady-state usage like a development server that runs continuously. Option A (Enable EBS optimization) does not reduce costs—it adds a fee for dedicated throughput. Option D (Change the instance to On-Demand) is already On-Demand; changing does not save money. Option E (Use Spot Instances) is unsuitable because development servers often need consistent availability, and Spot Instances can be interrupted, risking workload disruption.

What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on SOA-C02

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company runs a fleet of EC2 instances in a production environment. The instances are part of an Auto Scaling group that uses a launch template with a m5.large instance type. The company's SysOps administrator notices that the instances are often over-provisioned, with average CPU utilization below 20% for the past month. The administrator wants to reduce costs without affecting application performance. The application is stateless and can handle temporary performance degradation. Which action should the administrator take?

medium

A.Purchase Reserved Instances for the current m5.large instances to lower hourly cost.
✓ B.Modify the launch template to use a t3.medium instance type.
C.Enable detailed monitoring on all instances to collect more data.
D.Increase the minimum size of the Auto Scaling group to reduce scale-out events.

Why B: Option B is correct because switching to a smaller instance type (t3.medium) reduces cost while still providing burstable performance for occasional spikes. Option A (increase minimum) would increase cost. Option C (purchase Reserved Instances for current size) locks in over-provisioned capacity. Option D (enable detailed monitoring) increases CloudWatch costs without addressing instance size.

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Question Discussion

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This SOA-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SOA-C02 exam.